Photoalignment material, display substrate having an alignment layer formed using the same, and to a method of manufacturing the display substrate

ABSTRACT

A photoalignment material includes an alignment polymer, a photoalignment additive including a compound represented by the following Chemical Formula 1 and an organic solvent. In Chemical Formula 1, R1 represents a cyclic compound. A and B independently represent a single bond or —(CnH2n)—. n represents an integer in a range of 1 to 12. Each —CH2— of A and/or B may be replaced with R3 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH2— of A and/or B may be replaced with —O—. R4 represents In Chemical Formula 1, each hydrogen atom excluding hydrogen atoms of R4 may be replaced with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).

PRIORITY STATEMENT

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean PatentApplication No. 2008-46858, filed on May 21, 2008, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a photoalignment material, a displaysubstrate having an alignment layer formed using the same, and to amethod of manufacturing the display substrate. More particularly, thepresent disclosure relates to a photoalignment material used in aprocess for manufacturing an alignment layer of a liquid crystal display(LCD) apparatus, a display substrate having an alignment layer formedusing the same, and to a method of manufacturing the display substrate.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel includes a displaysubstrate having a thin-film transistor (TFT) as a switching elementdriving a pixel, an opposite substrate facing the display substrate, anda liquid crystal layer interposed between the display substrate and theopposite substrate. The LCD panel displays an image using the lighttransmittance of liquid crystal that changes according to voltage.

An alignment layer is formed on interior portions of each of the displaysubstrate and the opposite substrate, because it may be difficult toobtain an ideal liquid crystal molecular arrangement by simply disposingthe liquid crystal material between the display substrate and theopposite substrate. The alignment layer may be formed by spreading analignment raw material using a printing roller of an alignment layerprinting apparatus on a base substrate and a rubbing process. Forexample, the alignment raw material may be a solution including apolyimide polymer.

Static electricity may be generated by rubbing using a rubbing cloth inthe rubbing process to form the alignment layer, and thus the displaysubstrate may be damaged by the static electricity. Moreover, thedisplay substrate may be readily polluted in the rubbing process andstained with spots and stains, so that display quality may be decreased.To prevent the static electricity and improve the display quality, aphotoalignment process has been developed, wherein the process mayinclude spreading a photoalignment material on the base substrate andphotodegrading, photoisomerizing or photopolymerizing the photoalignmentmaterial using light.

An alignment layer formed by a method using photoisomerization may havelow alignment stability as the orientation of the alignment layer maynot be maintained for a long period of time. Furthermore, the alignmentlayer formed by a method using photoisomerization may have a lowphotosensitivity compared to an alignment layer formed by a method usingphotodegradation or photopolymerization. Thus, developing aphotoalignment material having a photoreactive portion may be required.However, developing a new photoalignment material may involve highcosts. Furthermore, optimizing characteristics of an alignment layer,for example, electro-optical characteristics and manufacturingcharacteristics, may be difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may provide aphotoalignment material capable of improving the orientation of analignment film without an alignment polymer having a photoreactiveportion.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may provide a displaysubstrate having an alignment layer formed using the same.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may provide a method ofmanufacturing the display substrate.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, aphotoalignment material is provided. The photoalignment materialincludes an alignment polymer, a photoalignment additive including acompound represented by the following Chemical Formula 1 and an organicsolvent.

In Chemical Formula 1, R₁ represents a cyclic compound. A and Bindependently represent a single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—. “n” representsan integer in a range of 1 to 12. Each —CH₂— of A and/or B may bereplaced with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂—of A and/or B may be replaced with —O—. R₄ represents

In Chemical Formula 1, and each hydrogen atom excluding hydrogen atomsof R₄ may be replaced with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).

Examples of the cyclic compound may include but are not limited tocyclohexane, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, benzene, naphthalene, chroman andthe like.

The alignment polymer may have a main chain including, for example, apolyimide compound, a polyamic acid compound, a polysiloxane compound, apolyvinyl cinnamate compound, a polyacrylate compound, a polymethylmethacrylate compound and the like.

For example, the content of the alignment polymer may be about 0.5% toabout 15% by weight, and the content of the photoalignment additive maybe about 0.01% to about 6% by weight, and the content of the organicsolvent may be about 84% to about 99% by weight.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, adisplay substrate is provided. The display substrate includes aswitching element formed on a base substrate and electrically connectedto a gate line and a data line crossing the gate line, a pixel electrodeelectrically connected to the switching element, and an alignment layerformed on the base substrate having the pixel electrode and including aphotoreactive portion being represented by the following ChemicalFormula 1,

In Chemical Formula 1A, R₁ represents cyclohexane, benzene, chroman,naphthalene, tetrahydrofuran or dioxane, and each of A and B representsa single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—, and “n” represents an integer in arange of 1 to 12, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂—of A and/or B is replaceable with —O—, and each hydrogen atom isreplaceable with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, adisplay substrate is provided. The display substrate includes aplurality of color filters formed on a base substrate, a commonelectrode layer formed on the color filters, and an alignment layerformed on the common electrode layer and including a photoreactiveportion represented by the following Chemical Formula 1A,

In Chemical Formula 1A, R₁ represents cyclohexane, benzene, chroman,naphthalene, tetrahydrofuran or dioxane, and each of A and B representsa single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—, and “n” represents an integer in arange of 1 to 12, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂—of A and/or B is replaceable with —O—, and each hydrogen atom isreplaceable with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, a method of manufacturing a display substrate is provided. Inthe method, a pixel unit is formed on a base substrate. A photoalignmentmaterial is coated on the base substrate having the pixel unit, thephotoalignment material including an alignment polymer, a photoalignmentadditive including a chemical compound represented by the followingChemical Formula 1 and an organic solvent.

In Chemical Formula 1, R₁ represents a cyclic compound, A and Bindependently represent a single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—, and “n”represents an integer in a range of 1 to 12, and each —CH₂— of A and/orB is replaceable with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂—of A and/or B is replaceable with —O—, and R₄ represents

and each hydrogen atom excluding hydrogen atoms of R₄ is replaceablewith chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F). A preliminary layer is formed byreacting the alignment polymer and the photoalignment additive andphase-separating a portion of the photoalignment additive adjacent to asurface of the preliminary layer. Light is irradiated onto the basesubstrate having the preliminary layer to react the photoalignmentadditive to form an alignment layer having an orientation.

Examples of the cyclic compound may include but are not limited tocyclohexane, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, benzene, naphthalene, chroman andthe like.

A photoalignment material according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention includes a photoalignment additive having aphotoreactive portion. Thus, an alignment layer having an orientationmay be formed without an alignment polymer having a photoreactiveportion. As a result, the costs for developing a novel alignment polymermay be reduced, and the alignment layer may be formed without contactwith, for example, a rubbing fabric. Therefore, the image quality,reliability and productivity of a display device may be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be understood in moredetail from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display panel accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the array substrate illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating a processof forming the alignment layer of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the opposing substrate illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the inventionare shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers andregions may be exaggerated for clarity.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on,” “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, itcan be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or layeror intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to”or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are nointervening elements or layers present. Like numbers refer to likeelements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any andall combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms areonly used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed asecond element, component, region, layer or section without departingfrom the teachings of the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described herein withreference to cross-section illustrations that are schematicillustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) ofthe invention. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrationsas a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances,are to be expected. Thus, exemplary embodiments of the invention shouldnot be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regionsillustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result,for example, from manufacturing. For example, an implanted regionillustrated as a rectangle will, typically, have rounded or curvedfeatures and/or a gradient of implant concentration at its edges ratherthan a binary change from implanted to non-implanted region. Likewise, aburied region formed by implantation may result in some implantation inthe region between the buried region and the surface through which theimplantation takes place. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figuresare schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustratethe actual shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limitthe scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

Photoalignment Material

A photoalignment material according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention may include, for example, an alignment polymer, aphotoalignment additive and an organic solvent.

Alignment Polymer

The alignment polymer may serve to form a film having a predeterminedthickness on a substrate, and may include a repeating unit. Examples ofthe alignment polymer may include but are not limited to conventionalalignment polymers for a vertical alignment mode or for a twistednematic mode, etc.

Particularly, examples of the alignment polymer may include but are notlimited to a polyimide compound, a polyamic acid compound, apolysiloxane compound, a polyvinyl cinnamate compound, a polyacrylatecompound, a polymethyl methacrylate compound and the like. These can beused alone or in a combination thereof.

For example, a diamine compound and an acid anhydride may react witheach other to prepare a polyamic acid compound. The polyamic acidcompound may be partially imidized to prepare the polyimide compound.

The alignment polymer may contain a photoreactive branch group having aphotoreactive portion. The photoreactive branch group is coupled to amain chain including, for example, a polyimide compound, a polyamic acidcompound, a polysiloxane compound, a polyvinyl cinnamate compound, apolyacrylate compound, a polymethyl methacrylate compound and the like.The photoreactive portion may include, for example,

etc.

When the monodisperse polystyrene-reduced weight-average molecularweight of the alignment polymer, which is measured by gel permeationchromatography (GPC), is less than about 1,000, the polymericcharacteristics of the alignment polymer may be deteriorated. Thus,characteristics of the alignment polymer may be deteriorated. When themonodisperse polystyrene-reduced weight-average molecular weight of thealignment polymer is greater than about 1,000,000, solid deposits of thealignment polymer may be readily generated at a low temperature. Thus,printing the alignment polymer may be difficult. Therefore, theweight-average molecular weight of the alignment polymer may preferablybe, for example, about 1,000 to 1,000,000.

Photoalignment Additive

The photoalignment additive includes a compound represented by thefollowing Chemical Formula 1.

In Chemical Formula 1, R₁ represents a cyclic compound. Examples of thecyclic compound may include but are not limited to cyclohexane, dioxane,tetrahydrofuran, benzene, naphthalene, chroman and the like. The cycliccompound has a double bond between carbon atoms that may serve as aphotoreactive portion of the photoalignment additive. The photoreactiveportion may be isomerized by light.

In Chemical Formula 1, A and B independently represent a single bond or—(C_(n)H_(2n))—. “n” represents an integer in a range of 1 to 12. Each—CH₂— of A and/or B may be replaced with

In Chemical Formula 1, R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12carbon atoms, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B may be replaced with —O—. R₃may serve as a vertical embodying portion of the photoalignmentadditive. A liquid crystal molecule may be vertically aligned by a polardifference between the vertical embodying portion and the liquid crystalmolecule.

In Chemical Formula 1, R₄ represents

When a substrate having the photoalignment material is heated, R₄ maychemically react with the alignment polymer to be coupled to thealignment polymer. Particularly, R₄ may serve as a thermally reactiveportion of the photoalignment additive. R₄ has a carbon-carbon bondand/or a carbon-oxygen bond, which are relatively weak. Thus, thecarbon-carbon bond and/or the carbon-oxygen bond may be readily brokenby heat, and then R₄ may be readily coupled to a main chain and/or abranch group of the alignment polymer.

In Chemical Formula 1, each hydrogen atom excluding hydrogen atoms of R₄may be replaced with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).

For example, the photoalignment additive may include compoundsrepresented by the following Chemical Formulas 2, 3, 4 and 5. Forexample, a carbon-oxygen bond of an epoxy group in Chemical Formula 2may be broken by heat to be coupled to a main chain of the alignmentpolymer.

Organic Solvent

Examples of the organic solvent may include but are not limited tochlorobenzene, N-methyl pyrrolidone, dimethylsulfoxide,dimethylformamide, toluene, chloroform, γ-butyrolactone, methylcellosolve, butyl cellosolve, butyl carbitol, tetrahydrofuran, etc.These can be used alone or in a combination thereof.

The alignment material may include about 1% to about 15% by weight of asolid component based on the total weight of the alignment material andan organic solvent in which the solid component is dissolved. The solidcomponent includes the alignment polymer and the photoalignmentadditive. When the content of the solid component is less than about 1%by weight, forming a film on a substrate may be difficult. When thecontent of the solid component is greater than about 15% by weight, thesolid component may not be fully dissolved by the organic solventthereby causing deposits of the solid component to be generated.Furthermore, uniformly coating the photoalignment material on asubstrate may be difficult. Thus, the content of the solid component maypreferably be, for example, about 1% to about 15% by weight, and morepreferably about 3% to about 8% by weight.

When the content of the photoalignment additive is less than about 2% byweight based on the total weight of the solid component of thephotoalignment material, the reactivity of the photoalignment materialmay be reduced. When the content of the photoalignment additive isgreater than about 40% by weight based on the total weight of the solidcomponent of the photoalignment material, the characteristics of a filmformed from the photoalignment material may be deteriorated. Forexample, when the content of the photoalignment additive is excessivelyincreased, the alignment characteristics of the film may be increased,but the electro-optical characteristics and/or manufacturingcharacteristics of the film may be deteriorated. Thus, the content ofthe photoalignment additive may preferably be, for example, about 2% toabout 40% by weight based on the total weight of the solid component ofthe photoalignment material.

Based on the above, a photoalignment material according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention may preferably include, for example,about 0.5% to about 15% by weight of an alignment polymer, about 0.01%to about 6% of a photoalignment additive and about 84% to about 99% ofan organic solvent.

Example 1

About 10% by weight of Kapton-H (trade name, manufactured by Dupont,U.S.A.), prepared by reacting 4,4′-diamino-diphenylether withpyromellitic dianhydride in chlorobenzene and containing a repeatingunit represented by the following Chemical Formula 6, about 3% by weightof a compound represented by the following Chemical Formula 2 as aphotoalignment additive and about 87% by weight of an organic solventwere mixed with each other to prepare a photoalignment material. Theorganic solvent included about 40% by weight of γ-butyrolactone, about30% by weight of N-methyl pyrrolidone and about 30% by weight of butylcellosolve based on the total weight of the organic solvent.

Evaluation of an Alignment Layer

The photoalignment material of Example 1 was coated on a 17-inch displaysubstrate, and then prebaked at about 60° C., and then cured at about200° C. for about 10 minutes. Thereafter, ultraviolet (UV) light ofabout 1 J/cm² was irradiated onto the substrate in an anti-paralleldirection by using a UV light exposure device (manufactured by USHIO,Japan). The UV light being linearly polarized at about 40° when adirection perpendicular to a surface of the substrate is considered tobe about 0°. Liquid crystal for vertical alignment (VA) mode, which wasmanufactured by Merck, was provided to the substrate to prepare a liquidcrystal display (LCD) panel.

According to experiments for evaluating the LCD panel, liquid crystalmolecules of the LCD panel were inclined by the alignment layer to havea pretilt angle of about 89°. Furthermore, the display panel displayed arelatively clear image without stains. Furthermore, linear afterimagesor surface afterimages did not appear on the screen of the LCD panelafter a checker flag pattern had been displayed by the LCD panel atabout 50° C. for about 24 hours.

Hereinafter, a display panel having a display substrate and a method ofmanufacturing a display panel, according to exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention will be described more fully with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Particularly, the display panel having thedisplay substrate will be described with reference to FIG. 1, and themethod of manufacturing a display panel will be described with referenceto FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Display Substrate

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display panel accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a display panel includes an array substrate 100, anopposing substrate 200 and a liquid crystal layer 300.

An array substrate 100 includes a gate line, a data line DL crossing thegate line, a switching element TFT electrically connected to the gateline and the date line DL, a pixel electrode PE and a first alignmentlayer 160, which are formed on a first base substrate 110. The arraysubstrate 100 may further include a gate insulation layer 120, apassivation layer 140 and an organic insulation layer 150, which areformed on the first base substrate 110.

The switching element TFT includes a gate electrode GE connected to thegate line, a source electrode SE connected to the data line DL and adrain electrode DE spaced apart from the source electrode SE. The pixelelectrode PE is electrically connected to the switching element TFTthrough a contact hole CNT exposing a portion of the drain electrode DE.

The first alignment layer 160 has a photoreactive portion coupled to analignment polymer and represented by the following Chemical Formula 1A.

In Chemical Formula 1A, R₁ represents a cyclic compound. Examples of thecyclic compound may include but are not limited to cyclohexane, dioxane,tetrahydrofuran, benzene, naphthalene, chroman and the like. A and Bindependently represent a single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—. “n” representsan integer in a range of 1 to 12. Each —CH₂— of A and/or B may bereplaced with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂—of A and/or B may be replaced with —O—. In Chemical Formula 1A, eachhydrogen atom may be replaced with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).

The photoreactive portion may be disposed adjacent to a surface of thefirst alignment layer 160. When the photoreactive portion is exposed tolight, the photoreactive portion may form an orientation on the surfaceof the first alignment layer 160. The first alignment layer 160 may beformed by coating a photoalignment material on the first base substrate110 having the organic insulation layer 150 and heating thephotoalignment material. The photoalignment material includes analignment polymer, a photoalignment additive having the photoreactiveportion represented by Chemical Formula 1 and an organic solvent. Whenthe photoalignment material coated on the first base substrate 110 isheated, the photoalignment additive is coupled to the alignment polymerso that the first alignment layer 160 has the photoreactive portionrepresented by Chemical Formula 1. R₃ may serve as a vertical embodyingportion of the photoalignment additive on a surface of the firstalignment layer 160. The photoalignment additive may include thecompound represented by Chemical Formula 2.

The first alignment layer 160 is formed from the alignment polymer ofthe photoalignment material. The photoalignment additive is coupled tothe alignment polymer so that the surface of the first alignment layer160 has an orientation. Thus, even if the alignment polymer does nothave reactivity, the surface of the first alignment layer 160 may havean orientation due to the photoalignment additive. Accordingly, thecosts for developing a novel alignment polymer may be reduced.Furthermore, the first alignment layer 160 is formed without contactwith, for example, a rubbing fabric so that the manufacturingreliability of the first alignment layer 160 may be improved. Thus, as aresult, the reliability and productivity of processes for manufacturinga display device may be improved.

The opposing substrate 200 includes a light-blocking pattern 220, acolor filter 230, an overcoating layer 240, a common electrode layer CEand a second alignment layer 250, which are formed on a second basesubstrate 210.

The light-blocking pattern 220 is formed on the second base substrate210, and blocks light having passed through the liquid crystal layer 300and being incident onto the opposing substrate 210. The light-blockingpattern 220 may be formed on the second base substrate 210 overlappingwith the gate line, the data line DL and the switching element TFT.

The color filter 230 may be formed in an opening formed by thelight-blocking pattern 220. The color filter 230 may be formed on thesecond base substrate overlapping with the pixel electrode PE.

The overcoating layer 240 is formed on the second base substrate 210having the light-blocking pattern 220 and the color filter 230. Theovercoating layer 240 may prevent impurities of the light-blockingpattern 220 and the color filter 230 from contaminating the commonelectrode layer CE, and may planarize the opposing substrate 200.

The common electrode layer CE is formed on the second base substrate 210having the overcoating layer 240.

The second alignment layer 250 is formed on the second base substrate210 having the common electrode layer CE. The second alignment layer 250may be formed from substantially the same material as theabove-described photoalignment material. Thus, any further explanationwill be omitted.

Method of Manufacturing an Array Substrate

FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the array substrate illustrated in FIG. 1. Hereinafter,substantially the same components as the components illustrated in FIG.1 will be explained by using the same names and the same referencenumerals.

Referring to FIG. 2, a pixel unit is formed on a first base substrate110. The pixel unit includes a gate line, a data line DL, a switchingelement TFT electrically connected to the gate line and the data lineDL, a gate insulation layer 120, a passivation layer 140, an organicinsulation layer 150 and a pixel electrode PE.

For example, a gate metal layer is formed on the first base substrate110, and then patterned through a photolithography process to form thegate line and a gate electrode GE connected to the gate line. The gateinsulation layer 120 and an active pattern AP are formed on the firstbase substrate 110 having the gate line and the gate electrode GE. Forexample, the active pattern AP may include a semiconductor layer 132 andan ohmic contact layer 134 formed on the semiconductor layer 132. Thesemiconductor layer 132 may include, for example, amorphous silicon, andthe ohmic contact layer 134 may include, for example, amorphous silicon,into which n-type impurities are implanted. A data metal layer is formedon the first base substrate 110 having the active pattern AP, and thenpatterned through a photolithography process to form the data line DL, asource electrode SE connected to the data line DL and a drain electrodeDE spaced apart from the source electrode SE. The gate electrode GE, theactive pattern AP, the source electrode SE and the drain electrode DEmay define the switching element TFT. The passivation layer 140 and theorganic insulation layer 150 are sequentially formed on the first basesubstrate 110 having the data line DL, the source electrode SE and thedrain electrode DE. The passivation layer 140 and the organic insulationlayer 150, which overlaps with the drain electrode DE, are partiallyremoved to form a contact hole CNT exposing a portion of the drainelectrode DE. The pixel electrode PE is formed on the first basesubstrate 110 having the contact hole CNT formed through the passivationlayer 140 and the organic insulation layer 150. The pixel electrode PEis electrically connected to the switching element TFT through thecontact hole CNT.

Referring to FIG. 3, a photoalignment material is coated on the firstbase substrate 110 having the pixel electrode PE to form a firstpreliminary layer 162 illustrated in FIG. 4.

The photoalignment material includes the alignment polymer, thephotoalignment additive including a compound represented by thefollowing Chemical Formula 1 and an organic solvent.

In Chemical Formula 1, R₁ represents a cyclic compound. A and Bindependently represent a single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—. “n” representsan integer in a range of 1 to 12. Each —CH₂— of A and/or B may bereplaced with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂—of A and/or B may be replaced with —O—. R₄ represents

In Chemical Formula 1, each hydrogen atom excluding hydrogen atoms of R₄may be replaced with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).

Examples of the cyclic compound may include but are not limited tocyclohexane, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, benzene, naphthalene, chroman andthe like.

The photoalignment material may be substantially the same as theabove-described photoalignment material. Thus, any further explanationwill be omitted.

The first preliminary layer 162 is prebaked to remove a portion of theorganic solvent from the first base substrate 110. The first preliminarylayer 162 is shaped by the alignment polymer, and includes the alignmentpolymer and the photoalignment additive mixed with the alignmentpolymer. For example, the first preliminary layer 162 may be prebaked atabout 50° C. to about 70° C.

Thereafter, the first base substrate 110 having the first preliminarylayer 162 is heated so that the first preliminary layer 162 ishard-baked. The first preliminary layer 162 may be hard-baked, forexample, at about 180° C. to about 220° C. When the first preliminarylayer 162 is heated at a high temperature, the alignment polymerchemically reacts with the photoalignment additive in the firstpreliminary layer 162 to form a second preliminary layer 164 illustratedin FIG. 5. For example, a portion of the photoalignment additive isphase-separated from the alignment polymer in an area adjacent to thesurface of the first preliminary layer 162 to form the secondpreliminary layer 164. The portion of the photoalignment additive formsthe second preliminary layer 164, and a remainder of the photoalignmentadditive is chemically coupled to the alignment polymer.

A polarized light is irradiated onto the first base substrate 110 havingthe second preliminary layer 164. The portion of the photoalignmentadditive phase-separated from the alignment polymer is oriented by thepolarized light to form a predetermined angle with respect to thesurface of the first base substrate 110 so that a first alignment layer160 is formed. For example, UV light may be used for the polarizedlight, and the intensity of the UV light may be about 0.5 J/cm² to about2 J/cm².

Referring to FIG. 4, a process of forming the first preliminary layer162 will be described in detail. Furthermore, a process of forming thesecond preliminary layer 164 will be described in detail with referenceto FIG. 5.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating a processof forming the alignment layer of FIG. 3. In FIGS. 4 and 5, aphotoalignment additive is indicated by “AD”, and an alignment polymeris indicated by “AP”. Furthermore, a thermally reactive portion, aphotoreactive portion and a vertical embodying portion of thephotoalignment additive are respectively indicated by 10, 20 and 30.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first preliminary layer 162 is formed on thefirst base substrate 110 having the pixel electrode PE. The firstpreliminary layer 162 is shaped by the alignment polymer AP, and thephotoalignment additive AD is mixed with the alignment polymer AP in thefirst preliminary layer 162. For example, the alignment polymer AP ischemically separated from the photoalignment additive AD, and isphysically mixed with the photoalignment additive AD in the firstpreliminary layer 162.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first preliminary layer 162 is hard-baked toform the second preliminary layer 164. When the first preliminary layer162 is hard-baked, a chemical bond of the thermally reactive portion 10is broken. Then, the thermally reactive portion 10 is coupled to thealignment polymer AP. Thus, the alignment polymer AP is chemicallycoupled to the thermally reactive portion 10 of the photoalignmentadditive AD in the second preliminary layer 164. Furthermore, thephotoreactive portion 20 and the vertical embodying portion 30 arephase-separated in an area adjacent to a surface of the secondpreliminary layer 164. Thus, even if the alignment polymer does notinclude a photoreactive portion, the alignment polymer may bephoto-oriented by using the photoreactive portion 20 and the verticalembodying portion 30 of the photoalignment additive. As a result, thecosts for developing a novel alignment polymer may be reduced therebyimproving the reliability and productivity of processes formanufacturing a display device.

When a photoalignment material according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention includes an alignment polymer having aphotoreactive portion and a photoalignment additive having aphotoreactive portion, the orientation of an alignment layer formed fromthe photoalignment material may be improved when compared with aphotoalignment material only including an alignment polymer having aphotoreactive portion. Furthermore, the photoalignment additive may notdeteriorate physical and electrical characteristics of the alignmentpolymer. Thus, non-contact alignment is possible while maintainingphysical and electrical characteristics of the alignment layer, whichare optimized by the alignment polymer. Therefore, the reliability ofthe alignment layer may be improved.

Method of Manufacturing an Opposing Substrate

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the opposing substrate illustrated in FIG. 1. Hereinafter,substantially the same components as the components illustrated in FIG.1 will be explained by using the same names and the same referencenumerals.

Referring to FIG. 6, a pixel unit is formed on a second base substrate210. The pixel unit includes a light-blocking pattern 220, a colorfilter 230, an overcoating layer 240 and a common electrode layer CE.

For example, the light-blocking pattern 220 may be formed by, forexample, forming a metal layer and patterning the metal layer through aphotolithography process. Alternatively, the light-blocking pattern 220may be formed by, for example, spraying an ink on the second basesubstrate 210. The color filter 230 is formed on the second basesubstrate 210 having the light-blocking pattern 220. The color filter230 may be formed by, for example, coating a color photoresist materialon the second base substrate 210, exposing the color photoresistmaterial to light and developing the color photoresist material.Alternatively, the color filter 230 may be formed by, for example,spraying a color ink on the second base substrate 210. The overcoatinglayer 240 and the common electrode layer CE are sequentially formed onthe second base substrate 210 having the light-blocking pattern 220 andthe color filter 230. For example, the overcoating layer may include anacryl resin. Examples of a material that may be used for the commonelectrode layer CE may include but are not limited to indium zinc oxide(IZO), indium tin oxide (ITO) and the like.

Referring to FIG. 7, a second alignment layer 250 is formed on thesecond base substrate 210 having the common electrode layer CE. Aprocess of forming the second alignment layer 250 is substantially thesame as the process of forming the first alignment layer 160. Thus, anyfurther explanation will be omitted.

A photoalignment material according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention may include a photoalignment additive having aphotoreactive portion. Thus, even if an alignment polymer does notinclude a photoreactive portion, a surface of an alignment layer may bephoto-oriented through reaction of the photoreactive portion of thephotoalignment additive. As a result, the costs for developing a novelalignment polymer may be reduced, and the alignment layer may be formedwithout contact with, for example, a rubbing fabric. Therefore, theimage quality, reliability and productivity of a display device may beimproved.

Having described the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, itis further noted that it is readily apparent to those of reasonableskill in the art that various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined bythe metes and bounds of the appended claims.

1. A photoalignment material, comprising: an alignment polymer; a photoalignment additive including a chemical compound represented by the following Chemical Formula 1; and an organic solvent,

wherein R₁ represents a cyclic compound, A and B independently represent a single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—, and “n” represents an integer in a range of 1 to 12, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with —O—, and R₄ represents

and each hydrogen atom excluding hydrogen atoms of R₄ is replaceable with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).
 2. The photoalignment material of claim 1, wherein the cyclic compound includes one selected from the group consisting of cyclohexane, benzene, chroman, naphthalene, tetrahydrofuran and dioxane.
 3. The photoalignment material of claim 1, wherein the photoalignment additive comprises a chemical compound represented by the following Chemical Formula 2,


4. The photoalignment material of claim 1, wherein the alignment polymer has a main chain including at least one selected from the group consisting of a polyimide compound, a polyamic acid compound, a polysiloxane compound, a polyvinyl cinnamate compound, a polyacrylate compound, and a polymethyl methacrylate compound.
 5. The photoalignment material of claim 4, wherein the alignment polymer has a photoreactive branch group coupled to the main chain and capable of having an orientation due to light.
 6. The photoalignment material of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of chlorobenzene, N-methyl pyrrolidone, dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide, toluene, chloroform, γ-butyrolactone, methyl cellosolve, butyl cellosolve, butyl carbitol, and tetrahydrofuran.
 7. The photoalignment material of claim 1, wherein the content of the alignment polymer is about 0.5% to about 15% by weight, and the content of the photoalignment additive is about 0.01% to about 6% by weight, and the content of the organic solvent is about 84% to about 99% by weight.
 8. A display substrate, comprising: a switching element formed on a base substrate and electrically connected to a gate line and a data line crossing the gate line; a pixel electrode electrically connected to the switching element; and an alignment layer formed on the base substrate having the pixel electrode and including a photoreactive portion coupled to an alignment polymer and represented by the following Chemical Formula 1A,

wherein R₁ represents cyclohexane, benzene, chroman, naphthalene, tetrahydrofuran or dioxane, and each of A and B represents a single bond or —(C₂H_(2n))—, and “n” represents an integer in a range of 1 to 12, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with —O—, and each hydrogen atom is replaceable with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F).
 9. A display substrate, comprising: a plurality of color filters formed on a base substrate; a common electrode layer formed on the color filters; and an alignment layer formed on the common electrode layer and including a photoreactive portion coupled to an alignment polymer and represented by the following Chemical Formula 1A,

wherein R₁ represents cyclohexane, benzene, chroman, naphthalene, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, and each of A and B represents a single bond or —(C_(n)H_(2n))—, and “n” represents an integer in a range of 1 to 12, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with —O—,

R₃ represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and each —CH₂— of A and/or B is replaceable with —O—, and each hydrogen atom is replaceable with chlorine (Cl) or fluorine (F). 